You're looking for Wild on the Beach. Or Desperate Living. Or that little French film that you can never remember the name of -- the one about the girl who only eats empty cereal boxes. You won't find any of these delightfully obscure titles at local chain rental stores, with their stacks of just-released-to-DVD feature films and wall of dreadful mass-appeal movies. This funky shop has all those and more, and it's the "more" that keeps us coming back weekend after weekend. We love the store's wall of John Waters films -- it's the only shop in town that carries the filthy filmmaker's entire output -- and the room full of cult movies (when's the last time you saw The Boy in the Plastic Bubble? Or The World of Henry Orient? Or anything starring Mothra?). The chatty, knowledgeable staff never wags a finger at us for our late returns. Maybe they understand that once we get our hands on these delightful, hard-to-find films, we hate to let them go.

Our car was a beauty in its day, a 1960 Cadillac. But it had been so long since we'd been able to find parts to take care of it, it had fallen into a quiet, dusty sleep of disrepair. Then, we found Arizona Vintage Parts, and our pretty car knew it had gone to heaven. The place is hard to locate, down a dirt road with virtually no address, but it's got pretty much everything a vintage auto connoisseur could ever need. Some customers come from other countries just to find that perfect chrome accent, or engine part. The specialty is Cads, from 1930 to 1985. But there's a treasure trove for all makes and models of antique cars, with parts like water pumps, fuel pumps, brake parts, U-joints, bearings, seals, ignitions, front end, gaskets, fenders, panels, hubcaps, bumpers, floorboards, radios, antennas, seat belts, steering pumps and so much more. Another big bonus: Everything is rust-free.

Bottom line: Size matters to miniature collectors, and the small-minded love this shop. At Auntie Em's, we can hold the whole world in our hands -- and decorate it. Doll houses feature furniture and every imaginable accessory, from place settings and appliances to minuscule trees and farm implements, even the teeniest cat food box. And those with big ambitions can pick up the wood, tools, paint and glue necessary to create their own trinkets. Need a little guidance? Peruse the racks of how-to books, videos and crafty magazines.

And for once, go ahead and bring the boys, for also on the premises: Smilin' Jack's Pedal Cars. (We appreciate the noncommittal slogan: "If it's got a pedal or wheel, we may have it.")

Rich Ihle is known as the snake or reptile man. He has a large collection of scaly friends, with names like Freckles, Miss Piggy, Junior, Mrs. Square, T-Bo and Theresa. Freckles is a leopard gecko from India. Miss Piggy is a western hognose snake. Theresa is a tiger-phase reticulated python, the longest snake in the world, growing to 30 feet. Ihle is very interesting. He enjoys educating people of all ages about these often misunderstood animals, and showing his live creatures for schools, libraries, malls, scout and church organizations, youth groups, fairs, and other special events. The animals that he uses in his programs are captive reared and extremely tame, making them perfect for school classroom hands-on presentations (including preschool), birthday and company parties, even as stars in commercials and movies. As Ihle says, the critters actually enjoy the attention as much as we enjoy the show. What a ssssscintillating ssssservice.

Thanks to the superb selection at this cool new shop, our garden now looks like an advertisement for antique dealer Michael Robertson's latest business venture. We dropped in to buy a couple of vintage earthenware pots, and left with a truckload of outdoor decor we couldn't live without. Our garden's gorgeous with Garden Party finds: a stupendous Virgin Mary fountain; a just-weathered-enough Adirondack lounger; and a crate full of like-new gardening tools that double as ornamentation. We plan to go back for another tour of the extra-cool "Shabby Chic White Room," where last trip we snagged an ecru crackle-glazed "Pissing Boy" statue and a marvelous milk glass flower bowl. Fans of campy Catholic art will want to check out the roomful of Jesus junk, and anyone else with a patch of planted soil will surely score something from this marvelous hoard.

Looking for glamour? Looking to shine? Are you a performer? A star? A man who dresses in women's clothing? Well, then . . . Boom Boom LaRue's is the place for you. Located within the shabby chic space of Vintage Interiors, sequined gowns are packed on the racks. Each piece of costume jewelry is hand-picked so there are no duplicates (this ensures that no fashion faux pas occur onstage). Boas, tiaras and wigs (oh my!).

But the true treasures are those elusive size 12 and up stilettos and go-go boots. So all you men who have an upcoming command performance at Pookies, stop in and freshen up your look and avoid looking drag -- we mean, drab.